Developer : Falcon in Motion LLC
Compatible with : iOS devices (iPOd, iPhone, iPad Mini, iPad)
Link : Magnifying Glass with Light
Price : Free ad Supported version or $1.99 for Pro edition
Reviewed On : iPhone 5
Features :
This has a lot of features in an App that would bring it into line with many dedicated Video Magnifiers. The feature set includes :
- High Contrast Mode
- Switch LED light On/Off
- Control for light intensity
- Crystal Clear Mode
- Image Stabilisation
- Focus Locking
- Screen capture/Photo
- Freeze Frame
First Impressions :
At first, the scren appears a little cluttered as many of the features appear directly via icons/bars. In portrait mode along the top you have the Camera switch (for switching between front and rear facing cameras), focus lock and settings button. At the bottom you have the photo button, zoom intensity slider and light on/off and along the right edge you have a light intensity slider. Entering the settings lets you switch on/off image stablisation, crystal clear mode, remove the light level adjustment from the display, turn LED light onto Auto mode and whether you want Freeze frame mode on or off.
A simple but powerful set of tools. Despite feeling cluttered to start with (I was used to an App with only a Zoom slider) it becomes easy to navigate very quickly and you can memorise where various functions are. I did have some minor niggles making sure I pressed the smaller icons like the Light switch. This is where the ability to override Apple's settings of the buttons on your phone might come in handy (ie dedicating your Volume buttons to zoom in and out) but as far as I'm aware Apple does not allow this.
A Closer Look at the Features :
The Magnifier :
The Magnifier itself has a maximum capacity of 5x so it's not all that powerful but it does stay well within the feasible range of the Digital Camera's zoom capabilities. The focus is generally quick although it suffers the same problem as most phone based magnifiers (a difficulty to focus on very close objects). The ability to turn the LED light on/off is a much needed feature missing in most phone based magnifiers to assist in darker areas or even the problem with your phone casting a shadow.
Image Stabilisation/Crystal Clear Mode :
In my testing I didn't notice that much difference between standard modes and having these switched on. There did appear to be a greater lag in focussing though when they were turned on.
Other Features :
The other features work as I would expect them to. I'm not too keen on the High Contrast mode but then I've always preferred the natural colours (it generally inverts colours).
Overall :
I'd have to say it's ne of the better magnifiers I've seen on a mobile phone. The limitations it does have I would associate with the camera in the iPhone (difficulty with close focus, a little bit of lag and difficulty maintaining focus). For $1.99 it does have to compete with many Free Apps on the iPhone that claim to do similar things but its feature set makes it stand out as one o fthe better of the bunch. My only complaint is that it only reaches 5x Magnification and my glasses have 6x but there's nothing stopping me from using them together (some dedicated Video Magnifiers go much higher).
Rating : 4/5 (Good but needs a little improvement)
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